45 minutes
- Opening
- 4
- Passage
- 5
- Questions
- 24
- Application
- 7
- Prayer
- 5
Total · 45 minutes
Sermon Study · Leader Edition
Dare To Be Different
September 20, 2026 · Austin Axen
Leader preparation · 2–3 minutes
Your aim for this conversation
Read 1 Peter 1:13–25 as one continuous passage.
Lead first with the three essential questions. Use Question 4 if time permits or as the closing application focus.
Timing plan
The Big Idea
Because our hope rests fully on the grace Christ will bring, we can stand out through holy conduct, confidence in his ransom and resurrection, and earnest love shaped by God’s enduring Word.
Remember Sunday’s message
Sermon reminders
01
Different in conduct
Future grace and God’s holiness reshape the way believers live in everyday decisions.
02
Different in convictions
Christ ransomed us with his blood and was raised in glory, so our faith and hope are in God.
03
Different in calling
Believers love earnestly and live by the imperishable Word that has given them new life.
Wednesday’s conversation
Reflect & discuss
Read 1 Peter 1:13–25 together. Where do you feel most pressure to blend in rather than represent Jesus clearly?
1
1 Peter 1:13–17 · Essential · 7 minutes
Hope that changes conduct
Peter links hope in Christ’s return with conduct today. Where do you most need that future hope to reshape an ordinary decision, desire, or pressure this week?
Participant follow-up: What might faithful progress look like there without pretending you have already arrived?
Leader notes
Where it is headed
Connect the promised grace to a concrete present response.
Follow-ups to have ready
- What does it mean to set hope fully rather than partially on the grace to come?
- How does remembering that we are exiles change the way we view this situation?
If it stalls
Return to verses 13–17 and identify the verbs Peter gives his readers.
2
1 Peter 1:14–17 · Essential · 7 minutes
Holiness that resembles the Father
Austin described holiness as being set apart to resemble our heavenly Father. What could that look like in your speech, integrity, generosity, purity, or hospitality this week?
Participant follow-up: Which small opportunity to reflect God’s character are you most likely to overlook?
Leader notes
Where it is headed
Keep holiness personal and practical, not performative.
Follow-ups to have ready
- Why is holiness different from simply trying to look religious?
- How can the group encourage a next step without becoming each other’s judge?
If it stalls
Ask for one small, specific example rather than a grand act of faithfulness.
3
1 Peter 1:18–21 · Essential · 8 minutes
Convictions that hold under pressure
How do Jesus’ ransom through his precious blood and his resurrection give your faith and hope a foundation that is stronger than your circumstances?
Participant follow-up: Where are you tempted to act as though God’s favor must be earned rather than received through Christ?
Leader notes
Where it is headed
Ground assurance in Christ’s finished work and the resurrection.
Follow-ups to have ready
- What does ransom communicate about both the cost and the purpose of Christ’s death?
- How does the resurrection change what Christian hope can honestly expect?
If it stalls
Keep the discussion with Peter’s language: ransomed, raised, faith, and hope.
4
1 Peter 1:22–25 · Optional · 7 minutes
Love that makes Jesus visible
Who is God calling you to love this week, and what would one tangible, sacrificial step of earnest love look like?
Participant follow-up: How does the enduring Word of God help us keep loving when the response is not easy or immediate?
Leader notes
Where it is headed
Move from a general intention to one named person and one concrete act of love.
Follow-ups to have ready
- Is this person inside or outside the church, and what makes this love costly?
- What support or prayer would make that step more likely?
If it stalls
Invite a quiet moment for people to identify a person before anyone answers aloud.
Carry it into the week
Next Steps
From the sermon
- Identify who God is calling you to love this week and take one tangible, sacrificial step to love that person as Jesus has loved you.
Application
Share one person you will intentionally love this week and one practical step you will take. Pray for one another to follow through.
My notes
Close in prayer
Thank God for the ransom and resurrection of Jesus. Pray for holy conduct, steady hope, and sincere love in the relationships each person has named.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible, © 2001 by Crossway. Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. Permissions. Prepared for this small group from the September 20, 2026 sermon; questions and applications are editorial study material.
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